FAS Intro: See also the ISOO Fact Sheet on the "Impact of Amendment to Executive Order 12958."

November 19, 1999

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13142

- - - - - - -

AMENDMENT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 12958 --
CLASSIFIED NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the
laws of the United States of America, and in order to extend and establish
specific dates for the time within which all classified information
contained in records more than 25 years old that have been determined to
have historical value under title 44, United States Code, should be
automatically declassified, and to establish the Information Security
Oversight Office within the National Archives and Records Administration,
it is hereby ordered that Executive Order 12958 is amended as follows:

Section 1. In the first sentence of section 3.4(a) of Executive Order
12958, the words "within five years from the date of this order" are
deleted and the words "within six and one half years from the date of this
order" are inserted in lieu thereof.

Sec. 2. The following new language is inserted at the end of section
3.4(a): "For records otherwise subject to this paragraph for which a
review or assessment conducted by the agency and confirmed by the
Information Security Oversight Office has determined that they: (1)
contain information that was created by or is under the control of more
than one agency, or (2) are within file series containing information that
almost invariably pertains to intelligence sources or methods, all
classified information in such records shall be automatically declassified,
whether or not the records have been reviewed, within 8 years from the date
of this order, except as provided in paragraph (b), below. For records
that contain information that becomes subject to automatic declassification
after the dates otherwise established in this paragraph, all classified
information in such records shall be automatically declassified, whether or
not the records have been reviewed on December 31 of the year that is 25
years from the origin of the information, except as provided in paragraph
(b), below."

Sec. 3. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 5.2 are amended to read as
follows:

"(a) The Director of the Information Security Oversight Office, under
the direction of the Archivist of the United States and in consultation
with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the
co-chairs of the Security Policy Board, shall issue such directives as are
necessary to implement this order. These directives shall be binding upon
the agencies. Directives issued by the Director of the Information
Security Oversight Office shall establish standards for:

(1) classification and marking principles;

(2) agency security education and training programs;

(3) agency self-inspection programs; and

(4) classification and declassification guides.

(b) The Archivist of the United States shall delegate the
implementation and monitorship functions of this program to the Director of
the Information Security Oversight Office."

Sec. 4. Subsection (a) and the introductory clause and item (4) of
subsection (b) of section 5.3 are amended as follows:

(a) Subsection (a) shall read "(a) There is established within the
National Archives and Records Administration an Information Security
Oversight Office. The Archivist of the United States shall appoint the
Director of the Information Security Oversight Office, subject to the
approval of the President."

(b) The introductory clause of subsection (b) shall read "Under the
direction of the Archivist of the United States, acting in consultation
with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the
Director of the Information Security Oversight Office shall:".

(c) Item (4) of subsection (b) shall read "(4) have the authority to
conduct on-site reviews of each agency's program established under this
order, and to require of each agency those reports, information, and other
cooperation that may be necessary to fulfill its responsibilities. If
granting access to specific categories of classified information would pose
an exceptional national security risk, the affected agency head or the
senior agency official shall submit a written justification recommending
the denial of access to the President through the
Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs within 60 days of
the request for access. Access shall be denied pending the response,".